Phase 1 of repairing the McComb Railroad Depot after its fire last May is nearly complete.
Ralph Price, executive director of McComb Railroad Depot Museum, said Pike Construction has been working on the exterior part of the building for nine weeks.
“That protects the building, obviously, and lets us get inside to assess what needs to be done in Phase 2, how the interior will be laid out,” he said. “But essentially, their work, Pike Construction’s work on the emergency work that we had approved by the State Audit department, they are finished.”
Price said emergency exterior work consisted of cleaning up the debris around the depot during the first week, followed by tearing down damaged walls that were beyond repair as a result of the fire. Then crews put up new walls and a new roof.
Price said a walk-through with city officials to make sure there is not anything else that needs to be done will be next week.
“It was on schedule. When we met with Mr. (James) Brock, the Pike Construction of Mississippi superintendent, he said it would be between eight and 10 weeks,” Price said. “He was right on target. It was the ninth week we got through.
“That was just an estimate on his part because you don’t really know when you get into a damaged building what you’re going to find around it and so I thought that was a very good estimate that he had come up with. He was right on schedule and we’re very pleased with the job that was done.”
Price said an architect will draw up specifications for Phase 2 to repair the interior of the depot.
“All we really have right now is just a shell of the building, but that was necessary to get it out of the weather,” he said.
Contractors will submit bids to the city, which owns the depot, to work on the interior of the building next, Price said.
He said interior work will consist of wiring, drywall and light fixtures. He added he may get a depot committee together to discuss ideas.
“Those are a little bit more intricate things from a construction standpoint,” Price said. “We’re hoping by the end of the year, the first part of 2023, it will be completed.”
While interior work will take longer, Price said it will be easier to remain on schedule than it was with the exterior.
“It’s much easier to schedule work when you don’t have to worry about the weather,” he said.
Price said the McComb Railroad Depot board of directors approved a capital fundraising campaign with a GoFundMe page. He said the link will be on the depot’s Facebook page and website within the next couple of weeks.
He added donations have already come in and those who want to contribute by check may mail it to P.O. Box 7220, McComb, MS 39649.
